Longing
by Ishanatur
Summary: A ficlet -- characters are actually narusakuino... may or not be completed depending on inspiration


He'd seen it once. Just one time. It might have happened more, but most of the time when Sakura was in a room he could not not watch her. But then he didn't know that she was going to be in it. They were on a mission, he and Ino. Well, more like Naruko and Ino, but she was him, kinda…. Either way, they were supposed to be watching Sakura's back while she healed some noble who had paid way to much money for her services. When someone paid too much, it was usually because they had something to hide.

So there they were, he and Ino, chatting it up while Sakura did her thing. The noble hadn't wanted anyone but Sakura there and he had met most of the ninja that were high level enough to rank the kind of trouble that the money he was spending would suggest he had coming. So Naruko had offered, after all he would die before he let anything happen to his Sakura –chan. Ino had offered as well, because her skills were especially useful from dark hidden corners and Sakura knew millions of ways to immobilize someone. So they hid in an ante room while Sakura did her thing. Well it was more of a place to store medical scrolls, and it meant that Sakura could keep darting in and out to give reports under the guise of researching. But it turned out that the noble was actually paying for just a healing, except it wasn't for him. One of his lovers (who he wasn't supposed to have) was suffering from a rare illness and Sakura kept darting into the room to grab more books and do actual research. It was once when she had walked back in that he had seen it.

The room was dark, and like most people who had a passion for their work, Sakura could not see when she was 'researching'. So invariably, she had arms full of books and wasn't looking where she was going, and she had never been a graceful girl, even he could admit that. But once he had been crawling back into the room through the window when he saw Ino with a look he had never thought he would see on her, longing. She wanted, no desired whatever she was looking at, with an intensity that seemed to just pour off her. But every line and muscle in her body also indicated that she knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt that she would never have it. He glanced past her line of sight, wondering what had made Ino show so much of herself. It took him a minute of looking past Sakura to realize that there was no one else in the room. He had noticed the way her shirt had slid off one shoulder walked through the room, chewing her lower lip in concentration. He had noticed because he was Naruto, and had been in love with her long before puberty. It had never occurred to him that there was one person who knew her longer and that person would see all the things in her that he saw. Yet here it was there on her face. He knew that type of suffering, and if there was one thing Naruto hated to watch it was someone suffering.

All too soon came the familiar thump of Sakura walking into something solid and Ino moved into action, quietly chastising her friend with insults. When she had Sakura out of the room, she leaned into the door, sighing heavily.

"I could give her to you."

It was almost impossible to dodge the kunai that came whizzing toward the dark corner that he was hiding in and stay hidden. But he planned to stay hidden while Ino's brain caught up to her reflexes.

It took almost a full minute of strained silence, before…

"Geez don't scare me like that Naruto…"

"I could."

"… what the hell are you talking about Naruto?"

The two bunshins out of the dark spot. And he could hear the breath whoosh out of Ino's body. He wondered how long she had been holding on to this emotion that just the sight of cropped pink hair, bottle green eyes and that slim body dressed in the most decadently light lingerie he could imagine would have such a strong effect. Naruko stepped behind and wrapped her arms around Sakura.

"I could you know."

The two of them started walking in tandem towards her until the door she had just shoved Sakura through prevented her from moving anywhere else. She didn't try to go any further, she just looked at them with that same longing… but in a more controlled a form.

"Naruto … what are you suggesting…?"

"Nothing you haven't imagined... or possibly even tried."

She looked at him and blushed, then looked away and blushed even harder.

"I don't know what you're talking about. "

"I think you do. And I think you had the same problem. You couldn't concentrate when hands, these hands were touching your skin."

He dragged one small finger across Sakura's collar and she moaned, leaning into it.

"I could concentrate."

He stepped back, poofing away.

He/she walked k towards Ino, wrapping her arms around her and whispering. "Please Ino…"

All of a sudden, hands grabbed his wrists and shoved him against the closest wall.

"Don't... ever....."

The voice was harsh.... full of things that he was sure she wanted to hide.

"you don't know..."

Her voice sounded so broken. So full of the things he had felt. He looked up at her.

"Yes I do, _**please**_… ino-chan1 let me help"

She descended on his mouth, fingers digging into his/her shoulders before viciously flinging her away from him, with enough force to push the illusion away and for him to bruise his back on the bottom half of the window sill as he crashed into it.

"You…

She never got to complete her sentence. The door was flung open and Sakura strolled in looking haggard but happy.

"The healing was successful. The daimyo is having a party in my honor. I told him I would be bringing friends, so you guys don't have to…"

She glanced between them.

" what's with you guys?..."

"Nothing," Ino snapped, stomping to the window and shoving him out of the way before flinging herself out.

"_Naruto_, what did you do?" She narrowed her eyes at him, hands on hips and reeking of suspicion.

He smiled his most innocent smile. Knowing full well that it would only rouse more suspicion.

"I didn't do anything!"

He jumped out of the window before she could ask more questions and before she could hear the mumbled "at least not yet" .

1 Not sure if this is the right suffix or not … don't really know when to use what


End file.
